Upgrading an old Polaroid land camera for 35mm rolls

Ok, we recognize that this is a bit of an odd upgrade, since many would probably think that a digital upgrade would be more appropriate. However, we found this interesting anyway. [Marker1024] has taken this old Polaroid land camera and modified it to accept a standard 35mm roll. His list of materials may sound fairly MacGyver-ish with foil and sculpey, but his results look to be well done and fairly sturdy. We have to say that the aesthetics of the camera itself are quite appealing and we could see carrying one of these around. As interesting as the writeup is though, we can’t help but wonder what the pictures look like that came out of it!

It’s not made for this camera, these old land cameras used a type of rolled instant print film that hasn’t existed for a long time. They are making film for the sx-70 and 600 series cameras. Polaroid has a lot of formats that they have dumped. I like the 4×5 sheets, but that’s pretty much done for, I doubt the impossible project will start remaking the various less mainstream formats.

Gut a webcam, cram it in. better yet, dissassemble a portable digital camera.. reassemble complete with the LCD and optical zoom.. see how that works with the existing lens. at the very least you could pack a decent CMOS sensor and electronics, and flashmemory.

jeditalian, the way it will work will be badly. The Land camera lens is designed to provide mediocre resolution and depth of field for a postcard-sized image receiver (the Polaroid print negative). A webcam sensor or anything similar is going to have a sensor the size of a pinhead, making the Land camera lens seem like a super-telephoto with extremely poor light gathering and resolution. Even 35mm film is probably being abused in that the lens isn’t delivering the image quality the film is capable of recording, because it was meant for a larger recording target of lower pixel resolution.

per localroger, a more high performance mod would be to support 120 film, or even 4×5 Polaroid/Fuji instant film packs. If one has the choice, the roll cameras are the easiest to convert, although some of the older pack film versions evidently had high quality lenses as well.

35mm would be a significant downgrade considering the resolution of an old lens like that. 120 film can be cut down to fit in a 110 camera by taking toenail clippers and removing the excess spool material. There are places (http://www.bluemooncamera.com) that sell respooled 120film, too.

If you have a Polaroid pack film camera you can still buy new colour (FP-100C) and black and white (FP100-B/FP-3000B) for it from Fuji, and easily convert it to use AAA or 3V CR123 batteries; I have a 230 and 355 that i still use from time to time.

As for the post, the roll film cameras haven’t had film made for them in a long time so they are basically mod fodder, though it’s more usual to convert them to a pack film back or a 4×5 Graflex back, this guy http://www.polaroidconversions.com/ does conversions and sells them.
I’d like to see a 120 conversion as i’d imagine you could get a 6×12 image from these.

If you want to know more about your old Polaroid cameras this site http://www.instantoptions.com/ is very good and has info on how to convert to modern batteries and other issues.

Yea I watch Antiques Road Show. One day film cameras my not be worth the dust they have collected over the years Maybe except for those models that represent a change in film point and shoot snapshot picture taking. Probably of interest to collectors only. Few others are going to have an old camera on the shelf, fewer yet would marvel over it. Hell a Model T will still take you to point A to point B. Old furniture will still perform the same same function of new furniture. An old camera is just going to just make noise when the shutter is released.